The Spartan Themed Cupcake

For my first recipe post, I will go back to my most recent cupcake creation.  Since I am creating the blog post cupcake, I only have pictures of the finished product.  I'll have to work on that for future additions to the blog. 

Anyway, I was asked to make a Spartan themed cupcake for a Michigan State themed baby shower for one of my coworkers.  I mulled around a number of ideas before I settled on a Triple Chocolate Cake with a Marshmallow Buttercream and a candy decoration. 

The cake was simply a Betty Crocker Triple Chocolate Fudge cake mix with a few additions.  I have found that of the cake mixes available, Betty Crocker is my favorite.  This is probably because it is the brand that I use the most and I have nearly perfected the recipe to get just the perfect cake.  Although, I will use others if I am in a pinch and they are on sale!

Back to the additions!  The two staples of any cake mix that I make are milk and pudding.  I always use milk in place of water and I throw in a box of pudding (sugar free if possible!)  I typically use 1 box of pudding for each box of cake mix.  Simply mix the pudding powder with the cake mix prior to adding the other ingredients.  Beat your cake mix together and add a little extra milk if necessary to get the desired consistency.  I typically add milk in a couple tablespoons at a time to ensure that I do not get too much. 

Pour the cake mix into a cupcake pan lined with any desired liners.  I always put a shot of Pam into the bottom of the liners before adding the cake mix as it prevents that cupcake from sticking to the paper when baked.  Bake the cupcakes as directed on the box, but start checking to see if the cakes are done 2 minutes before the minimum time listed on the box.  Take the cupcakes out of the oven when just a couple crumbs stick to a toothpick when inserted into the largest cupcake of the batch.  Cool your cakes on a wire rack if you have one or just the counter top would be fine if not.  I have found that the average cake mix makes about 18 decent size cupcakes. 

Proceed to the frosting once the cupcakes have cooled.

For this cake I used a Marshmallow Buttercream and I adapted a recipe I found on Allrecipes.com. Found Here! For this frosting you will need:

1 - 7 ounce jar of Marshmallow Cream
1 cup - Butter softened
1.5 cups - Powdered Sugar
0.5 teaspoon - Almond Extract

Begin by whipping the butter with a mixer until it is fluffy and the color beings to lighten.  Typically this takes around 5 minutes depending on the softness of the butter when you begin.  Add in the marshmallow cream and beat on high until fully combined scraping the bowl periodically.  Reduce the speed of the mixer and add in the powdered sugar.  I did about a half a cup at a time to reduce any chance of lumps.  I also added in about a total of 2 cups of powered sugar because I needed a little more frosting for the number of cupcakes I needed to make.  Keep in mind that adding in more powdered sugar will make the frosting a little sweeter.  Once all of the powered sugar is mixed in, increase the speed of the mixer and whip the frosting for a few more minutes until the buttercream begins to get fluffy.  Add in the almond extract and mix to fully combine.  I used almond extract in this recipe because I did not have clear vanilla extract on hand and I wanted a bright white frosting to contrast the green candy decoration. You can now frost your cupcakes as desired. 

For the candy decoration, I made a green "S" out of Wilton candy melts.  Melt the candy as described on the package.  This was my first attempt at using candy melts, so I melted mine into a gallon sized Ziplock bag and I snipped the corner of the bag when I was ready to begin crafting my letters.  I drew "S" shapes on to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Once I had 15 or so on the sheet I popped them into the refrigerator for a few minutes.  When the candy hardens, it releases from the paper.  I then placed the letters into a Ziplock bag for storage.  I popped the bag back into the refrigerator because I had issues with the candy softening due to the heat from the oven in the kitchen and the hot temperature outside.

After your letters are created and the cupcakes are frosted, the letters can be placed on to your cupcakes!  Whala, your masterpiece is complete!!